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System head in metric units

Calculating the total system head in metric units 14-10

"Head" is a very convenient term in the pumping business. Pressure is not as convenient a term because the
amount of pressure that the pump will deliver is dependent upon the weight (specific gravity) of the liquid being
pumped and as you know, the specific gravity changes with the fluid temperature and concentration.
Each liter of liquid has weight so we can easily calculate the kilograms per minute being pumped. Head or height
is measure in meters so if we multiply these two together we get kilogram meters per minute which converts
directly to work at the rate of 610 kgM/min = 1 kilowatt.
If you are more comfortable with metric horsepower units you should know that 735.5 watts makes one metric
horsepower

If you will refer to the above drawing (Fig #l ) you should get a clear picture of what is meant by static discharge
head. Please note that we always measure from the center-line of the pump impeller to the highest liquid level
To calculate head accurately we must calculate the total head on both the suction and discharge sides of the
pump. In addition to the static head we will learn that there is a second head caused by resistance in the piping,
fittings and valves called friction head and a third head caused by any pressure that might be acting on the liquid
in the suction or discharge tanks including atmospheric pressure. This third head is called " surface pressure
head".
Once we know all of these heads it becomes simple.We subtract the suction head from the discharge head and
the head that is remaining will be the amount of head that the pump must be able to generate at its rated flow.
Here is how it looks in a formula:
System head = total discharge head - total suction head or H = hd - hs
The total discharge head is made from three separate heads:
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System head in metric units

hd = hsd + hpd + hfd

hd = total discharge head
hsd = discharge static head
hpd = discharge surface pressure head
hfd = discharge friction head
The total suction head also consists of three separate heads
hs = hss + hps - hfs
hs = total suction head
hss = suction static head
hps = suction surface pressure head
hfs = suction friction head
As we make these calculations you must be sure that all your calculations are made in either "meters of liquid,
gauge" or "meters of liquid, absolute". In case you have forgotten "absolute" means that you have added
atmospheric pressure (head) to the gauge reading. Normally head readings are made in gauge readings and we
switch to the absolute readings only when we want to calculate the net positive suction head available (NPSHA)
to find out if our pump is going to cavitate.
We will begin by making some actual calculations. You will not have to look up the friction numbers because I
am going to give them to you, but you can find them in a number of publications including my web site, my Pump
and Seal Manual, or my CD. . Please note that the Pump annd Seal Manual is only available in the U.S. and
Canada. My CD is available Internationally and domestically.
Figure #2 demonstrates that the discharge head is still measured to the liquid level, but you will note that it is now
below the maximum height of the piping.

Although the pump must deliver enough head to get up to the maximum piping height it will not have to continue
to deliver this head when the pump is running because of the "siphon effect". There is of course a maximum
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System head in metric units

siphon effect. It is derived from the formula to convert pressure to head:

Head(meters) = pressure x 10.2/ specific gravity
Since atmospheric pressure at seal level is 1.013 bar we get a maximum siphon distance of about 10 meters if
we ignore friction in the piping
We will begin with the total suction head calculation
The suction head is negative because the liquid level in the suction tank is below the centerline of the
pump:
hss = - 2 meters
The suction tank is open so the suction surface pressure equals atmospheric pressure :
hps = 0 meters gauge
In these examples you will not be calculating the suction friction head. When you learn how you will find that
there are two ways to do it
You would look at some charts and add up the K factors for the various fittings and valves in the piping.
You would then multiply these K factors by the velocity head that is shown for each of the pipe sizes and
capacities. This final number would be added to the friction loss in the piping for the total friction head.
Or, you can look at a chart that shows the equivalent length of pipe for each of the fittings and add this
number to the length of the piping in the system to determine the total friction loss. You can find this chart
in my web site
For this example, I will tell you the total friction head on the suction side of the pump is:
hfs = 1.5 meters at rated flow
The total suction head is going to be a gauge value because atmosphere was given as 0,
hs = hss + hps - hfs = - 2 + 0 - 1.5 = - 3.5 meters of liquid gauge at rated flow
The total discharge head calculation is similar
The static discharge head is: hsd = 40 meters
The discharge tank is also open to atmospheric pressure, so: hpd = 0 feet, gauge
I will give you the discharge friction head as: hfd =7 meters at rated flow
The total discharge head is: hd= hsd + hpd + hfd = 40 + 0 +7 = 47 meters of liquid gauge at rated
flow
The total system head calculation becomes:
Head = hd - hs = 47 - (-3.5) = 50.5 meters of liquid at rated flow
Note: Did you notice that when we subtracted a minus number (-10) from a positive number (150) we ended up
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with a positive 160 because whenever you subtract minus numbers it is the same as adding them? If you have
trouble with this concept you can learn more about it from a mathematics book.
Our next example (figure #3) involves a few more calculations, but you should be able to handle them without
any trouble.
If we were pumping from a vented suction tank to an open tank at the end of the discharge piping we would not
have to consider vacuum and absolute pressures. In this example we will be pumping from a vacuum receiver
that is very similar to the hotwell we find in many condenser applications
Again, to make the calculations you will need some pipe friction numbers that are available from my book, CD
or web site. I will give you the friction numbers for the following examples.
Specifications:
Transferring 300 m3/hr weak acid from the vacuum receiver to the storage tank
Specific Gravity of the acid = 0.98
Viscosity = equal to water
Piping = all 150 mm Schedule 40 steel pipe
Discharge piping rises 15 meters vertically above the pump centerline and then runs 135 meters
horizontally. There is one 90 elbow in this line
Suction piping has 1.5 meters of pipe, one gate valve, and one 90 elbow all of which are 150 mm in
diameter.
The minimum level in the vacuum receiver is 2 meters above the pump centerline.
The pressure on top of the liquid in the vacuum receiver is 500 mm of mercury, vacuum.

To calculate suction surface pressure use the following formula:

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Now that you have all of the necessary information we will begin by dividing the system into two different
sections using the pump as the dividing line.
Total suction head calculation
The suction side of the system shows a minimum static head of 2 meters above suction centerline.
Therefore, the static suction head is:
hss = 2 meters
Using the first conversion formula, the suction surface pressure is:
hps = 500 mm Hg x 0.014 = 7.14 meters of vacuum
The suction friction head hfs, equals the sum of all the friction losses in the suction line. If you referenced
the metric pipe friction loss tables you would learn that the friction loss in 150 mm. pipe at 300 m3/hr. is 9
meters per 100 meters of pipe.

Fitting

Equivalent length of straight pipe

150 mm normal bend elbow 3.4 meters

150 mm Gate valve

2.1 meters

In a real life pumping application there would be other valves and fittings that experience friction losses:
Check valves
Foot valves
Strainers
Sudden enlargements
Shut off valves
Entrance and exit losses
Etc...
The loss in the suction fittings becomes:
in 5.5 meters of pipe friction loss = 5.5/100 x 9 = 0.50 meters
The total friction loss on the suction side is:
hfs = 0.14 + 0.50 = 0.64 meters at 300 m3 /hr
The total suction head then becomes:
hs = hss + hps - hfs = 2 - 7.14 - 0.64 = - 5.78 meters gauge at 300 m3 /hr
Now we will look at the total discharge head calculation
Static discharge head = hsd = 15 meters
Discharge surface pressure = hpd = 0 meters gauge
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System head in metric units

Discharge friction head = hfd = sum of the following losses :

Friction loss in 150 mm pipe at 300 m3/hr, from the charts is 9 meters per hundred feet of pipe.

The discharge friction head is the sum of the above losses, that is:
hfd = 13.5 + .31 = 13.81 meters at 300 m3/hr
The total discharge head then becomes:
hd = hsd + hpd + hfd = 15 + 0 + 13.81 = 28.81 meters at 300 m3 /hr.

Total system head calculation:

H = hd - hs = 28.81 - (-5.78) = 34.59 meters at 300 m3 /hr
Our next example will be the same as the one we just finished except that there is an additional 3 meters of pipe
and another 90 flanged elbow in the vertical leg. The total suction head will be the same as in the previous
example. Take a look at figure # 4

Nothing has changed on the suction side of the pump so the total suction head will remain the same:
hs = - 5.78 meters at 300 m3/hr
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Total discharge head calculation

The static discharge head (hsd) will change from 15 meters to 12 meters since the highest liquid surface in
the discharge is now only 12 meters above the pump centerline. This value is based on the assumption that
the vertical leg in the discharge tank is full of liquid and that as this liquid falls it will tend to pull the liquid
up and over the loop in the pipe line. This arrangement is called a siphon leg.
The discharge surface pressure is unchanged:
hpd = 0 meters
The friction loss in the discharge pipe will be increased by the additional 3 meters of pipe and the
additional elbow.
In 3 meters of pipe the friction loss = 3 /100 x 9 = 0.27 meters
The friction loss in the additional elbow = 3.4 /100 x 9 = 0.31 meters
The friction head will then increase as follows:
hfd = 0.27 + 0.31 = 0.58 at 300 m3 /hr.
The total discharge head becomes:
hd = hsd + hpd + hfd
= 12 + 13.81+ 0 + 0.58
= 26.39 meters at 300 m3/hr
Total system head calculation
Head = hd - hs
= 26.39 - (-5.78)
= 32.17 meters at 300 m3/hr.

For information about my CD with over 600 Seal & Pump Subjects explained, click
here
Link to Mc Nally home page www.mcnallyinstitute.com

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